When bar codes or other indicia are decoded, the resulting data is usually formatted according to a prescribed format. Data formatting in this context refers to the post-decode manipulation of the data. Often, the data is formatted according to how a receiving application expects the data to be provided to it. Indicia reading apparatuses, such as bar code readers, offer differing levels of data formatting capability. Manufacturers sometimes provide utilities for end users to configure the apparatus to format data in a desired format. However, enhanced formatting capability can cause problems for end users unfamiliar with the technical aspects involved in configuring the apparatus. Since data formatting can be complicated and difficult to explain to end users, often times a manufacturer's support team (such as tech support, solution architects, etc.) is burdened with the task of configuring the indicia reading apparatus for the end-user (e.g. a customer).